Hidden blood mutations linked to higher heart disease risk after cancer treatment

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About one in five patients with cancer who undergo genetic testing are incidentally found to have mutations in their blood called clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP). A study by Vanderbilt Health researchers reveals that it puts them at increased risk for heart disease following cancer treatment.

The findings, published in JAMA Oncology, support the potential benefits of screening patients for CHIP before they undergo cancer treatment so they can be more closely monitored for heart complications. CHIP is a condition, not a disease, characterized by age-related variants in blood stem cells, and it is typically asymptomatic.

The researchers were able to determine which patients had CHIP by using Vanderbilt Health’s biorepository, BioVU, to link electronic health records with whole-genome sequencing data. They compared the cardiovascular health outcomes of the patients with CHIP to outcomes of patients without the condition.

All the patients had been diagnosed with solid tumors, and none had heart failure, ischemic heart disease or arrhythmia before undergoing cancer treatment.

Over a 10-year period following treatment, patients with CHIP had a significantly higher incidence of heart failure (20.3% versus 14.5%) and ischemic cardiovascular disease (25.3% versus 18.5%). The effect was amplified in patients who received more intensive chemotherapy.

“We frequently find CHIP in patients with cancer, but previously we did not consider this to be an important result for their care. We now know that these patients are at higher risk of heart disease and would likely benefit from including cardiologists in their care team,” said the study’s corresponding author, Alexander Bick, MD, Ph.D., associate professor of Medicine, holder of the Edward Claiborne Stahlman Chair, and director of the Division of Genetic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology.

The patients received chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, or a combination of the treatments. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of noncancer deaths among cancer survivors.

The researchers analyzed data from 8,004 patients, and 549 of them were identified with CHIP. To their knowledge, the study is the largest to date evaluating the association between CHIP and cardiovascular disease in patients with solid tumors who underwent cancer treatment. Most patients with CHIP were male (54% versus 45%) and had hypertension (78% versus 69%) compared to patients without the condition.

The clinical implications of the study are that there may be value in testing patients for CHIP prior to cancer treatment to stratify risk and tailor monitoring for cardiovascular diseases and offering early cardio-oncology consultations as well as consideration of cardioprotective strategies.

Effectiveness of heart therapies and outcomes for patients with clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential: Q&A